


Titan Shrugged

by sanctum_c



Series: Cloti Week 2018 [7]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, I know that's stupid, Junon, Sephiroth IS John Galt, self-defeating villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: Avalanche arrive at Junon to find the Mako reactor powered down and Shinra gone. What in the hell just happened?
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Cloti Week 2018 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1554913
Kudos: 3





	Titan Shrugged

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Free Day - and after reading a lot of Atlas Shrugged criticism.

Junon was not as they expected when Avalanche arrived. Huge pillars of smoke rose up from the upper plate; the lower city seemed deserted save for a collection of sloppily dressed guards near the lift. None of them were wearing Shinra uniforms at least. “Did something happen?” Cloud asked.

“Yeah.” The guard grinned at him. “Shinra up and left.”

“They… what?”

“Where you guys been?” The guard glanced between the assembled group.

“Camping,” Aeris replied brightly.

“Camping, huh? You don’t look like the extreme sports types…” The girl shuddered. “Guess you didn’t hear about Sephiroth’s return.”

Tifa flinched. “We heard something about it before we left Midgar. He killed the President.”

“Old one yeah. Then he made a speech,” the guard said.

“A speech?” Cloud was wary. “What kind of speech?”

“Well.” She glanced behind him to the elevator. “Someone up top-side might have a copy if you want to hear it but-“ She shivered. “Went on for three hours or so. Most people gave up after about ten minutes, but turns out the Shinra management types thought it was wonderful. Something about how either you’re a producer or a parasite, and if you rely on someone else to give you stuff you’re a parasite and it’s too late for the world…”

“That sounds… horrible,” Barret muttered.

“Hard to stomach, that’s for sure. But what seems to have happened is the Shinra execs really dug it – and they decided to withdraw from the world.”

“They- What?” Nanaki's question got him a quizzical look from the guard.

“They don’t feel appreciated enough or we’re a burden or-“ The girl frowned. “Hard to remember he just would not shut up. Point is, they’ve gone on strike or something – and they’ll come back when they feel appreciated. We’re either supposed to die off or hole up like them.”

Tifa stared up to the plate. All this had happened while they were trekking through grassland and the mythril mines? Did the Turks know? “Was the speech popular?”

The girl scratched her head. “Well, put it this way. Morning after we found the Shinra infantry had mobilised and cleaned out. Heideggar with them. From what we heard out of Midgar, Rufus and the rest are missing too. The Mako reactors were shut down and they’ve wrecked the controls so we can’t get them restarted.”

Cloud held his hand up. “Wait. Are you telling me that Sephiroth has caused Shinra to stop processing Mako?”

“Basically.” The girl jerked her head back. “Not sure about anywhere else, but they’re offline in Midgar, Kalm and Junon. So, yeah?”

“We won.” Barret frowned at the ground. “All that effort, all that time- And he just talked them out of it?” He pushed his way to the front of the group. “What are you using instead?”

“Whatever we’ve got. We’ve got old oil and coal generators-“

“We need to do something about those.” Barret muttered something under his breath. “What about solar?”

The girl shrugged. “You’ll need to talk to them in charge up there.” She glanced around at them all. “You going up?”

“Give us a minute.” Tifa ushered the group away from the lift. On the shoreline a dolphin rounded a cliff, a girl riding on its back. She leapt off to splash in the shallows. “What do we do?”

“We need to find Sephiroth.” Cloud's attention was on something at the base of the Junon cliffs.

“Not sure why. You said he was the greatest threat to the Planet, but he seems to have saved it.” Barret folded his arms.

“I still… I still need to confront him…” Cloud muttered.

“Should we split up then?” Aeris glanced around the group. “Nanaki still wants to get home – and I would like to know what Cosmo Canyon can tell me about my past.”

Barret was nodding. “I think I should go back to Midgar. Sounds like they might need someone to make sure they don’t repeat Shinra’s mistakes. Or try and get the reactors working again.”

Aeris glanced at Tifa. “How about you?”

Cloud. Too much still to learn and find out there. Nothing for her back in Midgar. “I’m going to stick with Cloud for now. Provide back-up.” Aeris grinned and winked at her.

“Yuffie?” Tifa blinked and glanced around. “Yuffie?” The ninja was creeping off towards the lift.

“Oh, I, uh. I’m just going to check this place out.” She was grinning a bit too much. “I’ll see you guys around.”

“She’s going to rob the city blind,” Aeris murmured.

* * *

Cloud and Tifa followed an odd route North, working off rumours and vague sightings of Shinra aircraft and convoys headed somewhere unknown. As time passed they grew closer to each other, the lies Tifa told on their reuniting forgotten as they had fun in each other’s company. The two are now dating.

Aeris and Nanaki made it back to Cosmo Canyon where Nanaki learned the truth of his father, and Aeris learned of her lonely Cetra heritage. Unfazed she continued her journey through the world.

Barret took control of Midgar with the help of a Shinra exec named Reeve. The remnants of the Shinra science divisions changed to focus on studying alternate energy solutions.

Yuffie robbed everything of value from the Shinra exec suites in Junon and absconded with a cargo-ship filled with materia. She was last seen headed for Wutai.

* * *

Rufus had to remember it was early days in the Promised Land. While tempting to conclude they had come too early in the plan – the foundations of Neo-Midgar still not laid – he had to believe in Sephiroth’s words, his ideals, the clear vision of a perfect world. So while the troops laboured to construct the new city in the far North, he could feel content with how things would be in the end. How the world outside would collapse without his company and the executive ranks. How a new, pristine world would be ready for him to rule once the collapse was complete.

He shouldn’t complain. Not here in this wonderland of materia and mako that threatened to burst from the ground. But there were more tremors than he would expect from the “promised land”. Little things he should not worry about.

An hour later, the first of the new Mako reactors came online. The increased tremors were surely nothing more than the mako flows adjusting. The tremors refused to dissipate and it was clear they were in the grip of a full-blown earthquake. Before there was a chance of fleeing to safety, the ground split and a gigantic green hand emerged to pulverise the mako reactor. The materia ground shifted, cracked and split, sending Rufus – sending all of Sephiroth’s acolytes – into a yawning chasm below.

Emerald Weapon – the threat from the mako reactor dealt with – returned to its slumbering posture, ready for another threat to the Planet in the future.


End file.
